Healing Divisions Is Something Only God Can Do…Or Is It?

Healing divisions often seems impossible. From our perspective it often calls for a miracle that we are not able to perform. Look around us. Personally, I have intentionally turned off the TV and other media, especially the news, for several days now. That alone begins to calm the nerves. Beyond that, we too have a big role to play in healing divisions. How does that work?

The Gospel of John, Chapter 17 is known as Jesus’ high priestly prayer. He prays for His disciples, and He includes us:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20-21 NLT

Healing divisions is not about everyone becoming robots, all having the same thoughts without having choices. It does, however, have a lot to do with love, honor and respect for all people and the rest of creation. So what do we have to do to get there?

I have read these verses in John many times over the decades. This week the unity of the father, Son and, we who believe and follow Jesus jumped off the pages to me. In my spirit I saw divergent points that people occupy, with lines or strings going up from each one. The distance of the points was vast and varied. As I followed the lines of each string going up, they all came together in the presence of the Creator, the Three in One.

These divergent strands came to form a strong cord like a “three fold strand.” Each strand, many more than three, remained separate pieces, but united to serve a higher purpose.

As I prayed I sensed that we need to stop focusing on other people, but lift our eyes to Creator. The more intently we focus up, the more we travel up those lines closer and closer to His presence. The closer we come to the presence of the Only Living God, the distance between us gets smaller. That is our part in healing divisions. The closer we move to God, the more we become like Christ.

As we worship in Spirit and in truth, unity in diversity grows without demanding lock step conformity to each other. Instead we conform to Christ. Focusing up brings us together with the mind of Christ. So, let us worship the Lord in the presence of His holiness inviting changes in ourselves first so the divisions can begin to fade.